The PRADCO Professional Development Award honors a mid-career or senior HR professional who:

Devotes time and energy into people who want to improve and get ahead;

Promotes the development of others through coaching and/or learning opportunities;

Participates in career pathing discussions/exercises for employees;

Prioritizes and focuses on the advancement of individuals within the organization.

According to the nominations:

"Laura Dutt should be considered for this award because she has personally created a professional development environment for Benesch that is one of the most comprehensive in the legal industry. She has been able to determine not only the needs of the attorneys, but the clients who they serve and design internal and external programs that educate and support them. She understands the demands of the industry and is thoughtful about how to best address professional development needs.

"No job is too small for Liz Peschges, the Rock Hall's VP of culture and strategy. A positive agent of change, Liz has helped transform the Rock Hall's culture, giving employees not only an enhanced work experience but a new lease on their work life. In 2017, with just one year at the helm, the Rock Hall's employee engagement scores increased by 8%. In 2018, Liz oversaw the launch of the Rock Hall's first professional development program, giving staff access to the hard and soft skill development opportunities they'd been craving. Liz strives to have a personal connection with every team member. Her ethical leadership qualities mean Liz approaches every opportunity with a balanced moral compass that acts as a guiding light for all employee relations.

"In a workplace where diversity can be measured not only by employee demographics but by the range of the more than 5 million artifacts and specimens they are responsible for, Jeannie Sureck is deeply committed to people who want to improve and invest in their careers at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Sureck is surrounded by a wide-ranging team that includes world-renowned curators, researchers, scientists, naturalists and educators, as well as those whose duties include security, guest services, marketing and more. Her commitment to each individual is the same — to help nurture their personal growth and success as well as their contributions to the growth and success of the museum. It's all part of growing talent in-house as much as possible."

The winner will receive an executive coaching package from PRADCO for themselves or for someone whom they appoint.

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